Biography

When I was 18, I flew from Baltimore to LA to visit my older brothers and to street-perform for the first time. After a few days spent working up the courage, I went out onto Hollywood Blvd with a cheap guitar, sat on the dirty steps of the Jimmy Kimmel theater, and played and sang. I think I did some Springsteen. Maybe Neil Young. I’m sure the passing tourists could barely hear me over the street noise. I played for about 12 minutes. And one kind lady, probably taking pity on this clearly floundering teen, gave me like $0.76. On my 27th birthday, I was studying in the library where I was going to law school when I decided to street-perform for the first time in New York City. I packed up my gear (this time a fancier guitar and a small microphone rig), took the subway down to Columbus Circle, and played for about 30 minutes on a subway platform. My hands were shaking from nervousness and the winter cold. Every five minutes, a train would blow by and completely drown me out. A very kind lady gave me $20 and said she liked my voice. When I was 31, soon after a relationship ended, I left my job as a corporate lawyer, rented a 1-bedroom house, set up a home studio, and started making music all day. I wrote and recorded my first LP, Dreaming at the Door, by myself in that little house. If you're listening, thank you.